Help clean Pouch Camp

Pouch Camp is part of the Greenbelt. ItÃ¢ÂÂs the only Scout campground within the five boroughs, it has been used recreationally by generations of both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts for 60 years.
(Staten Island Advance Photo)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Outdoor Channel is seeking volunteers for a Sept. 22 clean-up of the William H. Pouch Scout Camp in Sea View.

In recognition of National Public Land Day, the cable network is joining with the Committee to Save Pouch Camp and Time Warner Cable to clear debris and spruce up the trails at the 143-acre wooded site. Volunteers should check in at 8:30 a.m. Trail work and debris removal will take place from 9 a.m. to noon, rain or shine.

Pouch Camp is part of the Greenbelt. The only Scout campground within the five boroughs, it has been used recreationally by generations of both Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts for 60 years. The cash-strapped Greater New York Council of Boy Scouts (GNYC), which owns the Sea View property, has left open the possibility of selling part of it to developers, spawning grass-root efforts to save the camp.

A big breakthrough came in the spring, when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey decided to contribute $4 million from its Harbor Estuary Program to the Trust for Public Land to help preserve Pouch. That, combined with $500,000 allocated by Borough President James Molinaro and $250,000 each from Councilmen Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo, was enough to save phase one of Pouch Camp with a conservation easement.

Phase one encompasses the best-known parts of Pouch – the freshwater lake and surrounding waterfront, 44 acres in total. But there's still two more $5 million phases to go, and phase two must be funded by July 2013 and phase three by July 2014.

The Outdoor Channel's "Serve and Conserve" program, operating across the country, is part of the network's Outdoor Channel Corps, an initiative to mobilize outdoor enthusiasts into volunteering to restore and improve public lands and outdoor spaces. The Outdoor Channel has been one of the strongest supporters of local efforts to save Pouch Camp, promoting the effort on its website, www.OutDoorChannel.com.

Event organizers are also promising an appearance by entertainer David Johansen (aka Buster Poindexter), a West Brighton native.

The Safe Horizon Rape Survivor Advocate program consists of training volunteers who respond to calls from Staten Island emergency departments and provide support for sexual assault survivors and their families. A Rape Survivor Advocate (RSA) is a volunteer who is there when the hospital social worker is not. RSAs are on-call weekdays from 5 p.m. to 9.a.m. and there is 24-hour coverage on weekends and holidays.

Safe Horizon is seeking volunteers to participate in a three-week, 40-hour RSA training program that is slated to begin in October. The training will be held at the Safe Horizon office at 30 Bay St., St. George.

Anyone interested in volunteering should contact Veronica Green, coordinator of the Rape Survivor Advocate program at 718-720-2591, ext. 22.

Helping Hands is a clearinghouse for nonprofit groups in need of volunteers. Helping Hands runs in the Shore sections on Wednesdays. Agencies seeking volunteers should send press releases at least one week before the information needs to run to "Helping Hands," Staten Island Advance, 950 Fingerboard Rd., Staten Island, N.Y. 10305 or email shores@siadvance.com.